Friday, March 11, 2011

"Escape Switch"

Hello everyone, the Historian here, with the tenth episode of our Dalek epic. Joining me this week are Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm, Spoo, Photobug and Cz. This week--moving pictures! Let's get to the summary!

Episode Summary: First aired 15 January 1966. Steven calls for the Doctor as they enter the pyramid tomb, but there is no answer. Sara, noticing the TARDIS, wonders if the Doctor is inside, but the door is locked. Steven starts to call again, but Sara sees something behind them. "Steven! Look!" The lid of the tomb's coffin is being lifted by a hand covered with bandages...!

The lid opens, revealing a fully bandaged, mummy-like figure! The figure groans, trying to speak. Steven and Sara run over towards it and begin unwinding bandages to reveal--the Monk! "Well, thank goodness for that!" he says.

In the Dalek time machine, the Red Dalek has lost patience with the Monk. Mavic Chen replies that they should give the Monk more time. "We don't know what difficulties he had to face," he says. The Red Dalek replies that the hour given the Monk to retrieve the Taranium has expired, but Chen responds, "In the present situation we can't afford to measure time exactly." The Red Dalek replies that the Monk must have betrayed them, but Chen doesn't think so. "He DARE not! Will the Daleks never learn that all things do not work to a pattern - that flexibility can also lead to conquest?" The Red Dalek ignores this and orders its patrol to disembark. All life forms are to be treated as hostile. It then tells Chen he will go with them. "If you insist on this approach, I fail to see how I will be able to answer for the consequences!" Chen snaps, and pushes the Dalek's eye stick out of his way as he strides out.

Steven has unwound the Monk's bandages. He tells Steven and Sara that the Doctor did it to him. "Well, he didn't say anything really. Nothing. There I was, trying to warn him of the Daleks, and suddenly, there I am in the sarcophagus!" Sara is sure the Doctor will apologize, but the Monk waves the idea off with good humor. Steven asks where the Doctor went, but Sara simply ignores the Monk and suggests the Doctor must be off looking for them. The Monk, meanwhile, keeps trying to break in, suggesting he has a headache and perhaps the Doctor has some kind of drug inside the TARDIS...? He is still trying to get inside to grab the Taranium, but both Steven and Sara ignore him until Sara turns and asks what they should do with the Monk. "He can come with us," says Steven. "That way, we can keep an eye on him." They begin to leave, but the Monk hangs back. He asks Steven if he's going to be let into the TARDIS or not. "I couldn't, even if I wanted to," replies Steven. "The Doctor's the only one with a key." The Monk is visibly disappointed and Steven, misunderstanding, tries to comfort him. "Don't worry, we'll find him," Steven says. "That's what I'm worried about," mutters the Monk.

Chen and the Daleks walk through the pyramid site, looking for the Monk or the Doctor. Suddenly, they hear a voice in the distance--it is Steven, shouting for the Doctor!

Steven, Sara and the Monk arrive at a corner of the base of the pyramid. Steven and Sara call out for the Doctor. The Monk, holding his hands in front of his mouth to muffle the sound, pretends to call for the Doctor. Sara feels dispirited and Steven asks what else they can do as the Monk slips off around the pyramid...and straight into the Dalek patrol! "Ah... there you are," he says, desperately trying to regain control of the situation. "I've been looking for you." Sara, hearing his voice, turns towards the Monk. Suddenly, more Daleks appear and back the three up against the side of the pyramid. "Prepare to exterminate them!" says the Red Dalek. The Monk protests. "Exterminated? When I've fulfilled my part of the bargain?" Mavic Chen runs forward and demands the Taranium core from the Monk. "I... I haven't actually got the Core, but... I've brought you hostages!" Steven is disgusted, but Chen is intrigued. The Doctor's loyalty to his friends is well known, he tells the Red Dalek. "In exchange for their lives, the Doctor would hand us the Core of the Time Destructor," he says. "Is this true?" the Red Dalek asks Steven, who remains silent. "Their silence confirms that it is," says Chen. "They know that it is true." The Red Dalek order Steven and Sara taken back to their time machine. The Monk starts to leave. "Well, now that little problem's settled, I'd better be..." but the Red Dalek interrupts. "You will return with us!" "Return with you? That was what I was going to say," the Monk lamely finishes.

In one of the work shacks, Khephren is startled when Tuthmos stumbles in, gasping that the prisoners have escaped. "We left the tomb unsealed," Khephren says, worriedly. But when his servant says that they must go after the escapees, he responds, "No! The war machines will destroy us all. Hyksos said he would return when the sun is above us. See." He points at the sky. "We do not have long to wait."

In the Dalek time machine, adjustments are being made to the "voice audio" device, making its range seven Earth miles. The Red Dalek orders Chen to be brought to issue the "ultimatum." Meanwhile, Sara, Steven and the Monk are being guarded in a corner of the room. The Monk detects a certain...coolness from his companions. But, he tells them, I saved our lives! Steven is more than dubious. "Just a minute... you don't actually think I meant what I said to the Daleks?" the Monk says with apparent shock. "My dear fellow, it was a desperate gamble, risking my own life to save yours." Steven is contemptuous, but Sara (who doesn't know the Monk very well) wonders if he could be telling the truth. Chen arrives and walks to the voice audio. He speaks into the microphone. "Doctor? Doctor, you should be able to hear me now, wherever you are." Steven mutters to Sara, "Maybe it would be better if the Doctor couldn't hear it."

Elsewhere in the building site, the Doctor is exploring, looking for Sara and Steven. Suddenly, he hears Chen's voice. "Doctor, listen carefully to what I have to say. It is useless to try to fight us any more. Your two young friends are held prisoner by the Daleks. You know why we have pursued you through time and space. We want the Taranium that you stole. You are to proceed to the Dalek time-machine, south of the Great Pyramid, and receive your instructions. The vital Core will be returned to us. Failure will mean the death of your friends." The Doctor, face grim, moves off.

In the work shack, Tuthmos is prostrating himself on the ground. "Master, It is the voice of the gods," he tells Khephren. "No, Tuthmos," says his master. "The gods would speak words that we would understood." "Who else but the gods could speak in a voice like thunder?" asks Tuthmos. "The same mortals who would build war machines that throw fire," says Khephren. "When Hyksos returns, you will see the end of your gods!"

In the Dalek machine, Chen and the Red Dalek are preparing to depart. Chen turns to the prisoners. "For your sake, I hope that the Doctor does not keep us waiting long," he tells them and leaves. Sara wishes they could warn the Doctor (the Monk asks, "What for?" but is ignored), but Steven says, "No, Sara, it wouldn't stop him coming here. In fact, it would probably make him more determined." Just then, from outside, they hear the Doctor's voice!

The Doctor sounds more angry than frightened. Chen and several of the Daleks leave the ship. "Where are they?" demands the Doctor. Chen suggests to the Red Dalek that the Doctor needs proof. Steven, Sara and the Monk are brought out of the ship. "We want the Taranium Core back, Doctor, and there is nothing you can do to stop us now," says Chen. The Doctor agrees that he will hand over the core--but on his terms. "You are in no position to make demands, Doctor," says Chen, but the Doctor angrily insists. "We could exterminate you now," says the Red Dalek. "Yes, indeed, indeed you could, but then you'd never get back the Taranium Core, hmm, would you?" responds the Doctor. The Doctor gives his terms: "You will release your prisoners. I also include that Monk fellow too, although I don't know why I should bother with him. Bring all three to the place of rendezvous and handed them over at the same time." Chen and one Dalek will bring the prisoners to the west angle of the Great Pyramid. The Red Dalek agrees to the demands and the prisoners are hustled back inside. The Doctor leaves and Chen turns to the Red Dalek. "I'm surprised that that you met his terms so readily," he says. "One Dalek is capable of exterminating all!" responds the Dalek leader.

In the work shack, Khephren and Tuthmos are delighted to see Hyksos coming back with a full contingent of men. He readies his men to attack the war machines!

It is time for the rendezvous and the prisoners are hustled out towards the meeting point. Outside, one of Hyksos' men watches the Daleks leave their ship and runs off to tell his captain.

The Daleks, Chen and the prisoners have arrived at the west angle of the pyramid and await the Doctor. The Red Dalek tells Chen he will receive the Taranium; it also tells the prisoners they will be silent. The Monk mutters, "It's not being done on your terms. Why don't you shut up?" Suddenly, the Doctor's voice can be heard loud and clearly from behind cover. "Stay where you are. You will move when I tell you." The Doctor moves into view. He orders Chen to step forward, but sees that the Red Dalek is following and orders it to stop. "Mavic Chen! You have disregard my conditions. I said one Dalek." Chen protests that he is not the Daleks' masters. "Before we go any further, you will now release your hostages!" says the Doctor. "Then, and only then, will I hand you the Taranium Core." The Red Dalek declares the prisoners to be released and the Doctor yells at them to get going and all three dash off. The Doctor then tells Chen to walk towards him. As Chen moves forward, the Doctor calls out, "I am now about to hand over the Taranium Core to Mavic Chen." The Doctor has the core in his hand and is about to hand it over when...Hyksos and his men attack! Chen grabs the core away from the Doctor and jumps for cover as the Doctor takes off in the other direction. The fight between the Daleks and the Egyptians is unequal, and many of the poor soldiers are mowed down. But the Red Dalek finds itself in difficulty as it is surrounded by rocks put around its base by soldiers and is unable to move! The Monk has run off, but Steven, Sara and the Doctor run towards the treasure room of the tomb.

The three companions make it back to the TARDIS. Steven and Sara are jubilant at their escape, but the Doctor is grim. He has had to give up the Taranium to ensure their escape. He'd hoped to keep it in the chaos, but... "That means that the Daleks have won! There's nothing to stop them now," Sara exclaims. Nothing...except this! says the Doctor, holding up the component he'd stolen from the Monk's TARDIS. It's a Directional Unit and with it, they can return to Kembel! But that's not all... "Now, while I was collecting that unit, I changed the Monk's TARDIS into a police telephone box," he tells them. Sara laughs. "Like yours?" she asks. "Yes, yes, exactly like mine," answers the Doctor. "Of course, the Daleks will be on our track. But I think - should my plan succeed - they would find the Monk." They laugh again. Steven thinks a moment. "By the way, what happened to him? He was with us." "I don't care if he is in Timbuktu," says the Doctor and the three enter the TARDIS.

The Monk, too, has made it back to his TARDIS, smirking about how he has got away from Steven and Sara. Then he sees his ship--and its new Police Box shape! Suddenly, he hears a Dalek calling from offscreen: "There is one of the time travellers. Stop his escape." The Monk dives into his TARDIS, just as a patrol of Daleks appears! As they fire, the Monk's TARDIS dematerializes. As the Daleks cease firing, Mavic Chen appears. The Patrol Leader says, "They have escaped! We shall pursue them through eternity. The Taranium core must be recovered!" But Chen smiles. "All this hysteria is unnecessary," he says. "The operation is a complete success. I have the Taranium here!" He shows it to the Patrol Leader, who declares that they must return to the machine and journey back to Kembel at once!

In the control room, the Doctor is busy fitting the Monk's Directional Finder into the console. "Yes, well," says Steven, "I hope that the Daleks don't catch the Monk." Even after all he has done? asks Sara. Yes, says Steven. "Well, I shouldn't worry any more, my dear boy," says the Doctor. "There's no doubt about it. He's well away by now." "Do you think he will be going for revenge again?" asks Steven. "Perhaps. Perhaps," says the Doctor. "Yes, perhaps one day. But at the moment, I should say he has quite enough for us for a while. Having taken his directional unit, it's going to take him quite a time to make the necessary repairs to his ship." But will it work for us? asks Sara. The Doctor responds, "Well, I am not certain. It's a Mark IV, remember. There are two possibilities: one - it will work..." "Go on, Doc..." prompts Steven. "Number two - the increased energy rate will certainly destroy the centre column," finishes the Doctor. "But we do have a chance?" asks Sara. "Yes, my dear. A chance. A slim one," says the Doctor.

Elsewhere, the Dalek time machine leaves Egypt to return to Kembel.

An ice field. A planet of mountains and ice. Suddenly, a new ice block appears...and a man walks out of a door in it. It is the Monk and he is shocked at what he sees. "A planet of ice. I didn't set course for this. Unl... The Doctor again... The Doctor..." He goes back inside and is out again a moment later. He's stolen my directional unit," he says, furiously. "Now I will have to wander through time and space as lost as he is!" He looks up into space. "I'll get you for this, Doctor! I'll get you one day!" he yells, and dashes back into his TARDIS, slamming the door behind him.

In the control room, the Doctor has finished wiring the new unit into the console. Still, he hesitates before testing it. "Well, come on. I thought you said that it was finished," says Sara. "Yes my dear, I've finished, but..." says the Doctor. "Oh come on, Doctor," says Steven. "We haven't got time for buts! This is our only hope!" "You realize, my boy, we're taking a terrible chance," says the old man. "Then you can save your breath," replies Steven. "We've got to try it!" The Doctor pauses a moment, turns away, grasps his lapels and says, "Very well. Pull the main switch!" Steven waits for a moment and then pulls the switch. The wheezing, groaning sound of the TARDIS taking off begins, but suddenly there is an explosion and the room fills with smoke....!

---

Ketina's Paraphrasey Transciptions

H: HistorianK: KetinaR: RonelynSc: SchmallturmS: SpooP: PhotobugC: Cz

[NOTE: Ketina has decided to try her own editing and explaining this week, so I'll try to let her take the brunt of it. I'll only add stuff when necessary! --H]

S: “He's a Magic Chen-en.. yeah yeah. Magic Chen, oh!”

H: “Do do doo do do do!”

H: So, in spite of the “Billy Fluff” , moving pictures everybody!

C: Moving pictures, yay!

S: Awesome album!

H: I believe they found this lost episode in a church basement. It was either this one or episode five. [Actually, it was both. --H]

R: “THE MONK HAS FAILED! YEAH, THAT GUY IS A TOOL!”

S: Voice audio, huh? As opposed to voice video? “I cannot use this voice audio. It is too small of a piece of scenery to chew.”

H: Did anyone else enjoy the creaking of the balsa wood of the set of the Dalek time machine. The audio was so cleaned up for the DVD you could clearly hear it.

R: “HEY, IT'S NOT OUR FAULT THAT WE GOT SAND IN OUR BEARINGS.”

Sc: I thought this one was kind of slow and talky compared to the last one.

H: Less happened in it.

Sc: A lot of Daleks standing around repeating things to each other.

S: And not shooting things.

H: Remember, they can't shoot at the Taranium.

S: The Ewoks.. sorry, Egyptians, did a good job taking care of that one Dalek.

Sc: But we didn't see anything about him later, so we don't know if he eventually got away.

K: He didn't. When they went back to the TARDIS there were only four Daleks.

R: He was running off at the mouth trying to chase down the plot... “Wait, um.. I have a headache! Wait, what do I say to stay alive?”

H: Steven knows the Monk. He wasn't going to be fooled by him.

P: It didn't make much sense to me when they left the prisoners alone in the control room.

Sc: I think there was always at least one Dalek in there.

H: The chief left, but not the others.

S: So, the Daleks finally have the terrarium.

H: Taranium!

S: Whatever. Anyway, and the means to go back to where they're supposed to. Put the core back in the time destructor and off you go. So what's the Doctor's idea to stop them, exactly? Have a working TARDIS and race them back? He succeeded in taking care of the Monk, but the other thing?

Sc: He goes back in time before they take the destructor away from Mavic Chen before Chen brings it to the Daleks.

S: They haven't done that sort of plot yet.

Sc: Then he goes even farther to Uranus and stops them from even making the core. Then he goes yet even further back and makes sure that Chen is never even born!

H: Well, if we make sure that Marty's father and mother never marry...

S: This one was really a connection between plot points. Our hero is lost. He saved his companions, but “oops, universe!”

H: Well, there's two episodes of the story left.

S: And one is apparently about repairing the TARDIS.

R: “So, this here is your problem. The neutron flow on this thing is inverted.”

K: The polarity of the neutron flow is inverted.

P: So, while I don't expect an opera every week, the music appears to be tapering off.

R: There was only one “attack of the sound track” this week.

C: Two!

R: But only one where it jumped out at you “ooga booga!”

H: I actually thought there was some nice directoral stylist touches, like when they went from the sun to the reflection on the Daleks.

P: And when the went from the scenery to panning upwards at the beginning.

Sc: I noticed one shot when the Dalek was speaking, and there was “Egyptian crotch” huge in the scene.

P: I saw that, and I was thinking “are we sure that's a children's show?”

H: “Ah Joel, I hate it when there's men wearing skirts shorter than the women!”

R: I have names for them all. Short skirt guy was George [Khephren], the small nervous guy was Ringo [Tuthmos], and the guy who brought in the reinforcements was definitely John with the goatee [Hyksos].

H: They all have real names that are references to Egyptian history that Spooner liked. But no one really cares since they almost all die anyway.

H: Last thoughts?

P: Good scenery. Good photography . I was kind of perplexed by the Doctor's plan of turning the Monk's TARDIS into looking like his, because it could have just as easily fooled his companions.

H: That's a good point. He didn't know that Steven and Sara knew the TARDIS would be in the tomb.

Sc: It was cool to see Mavic Chen moving.

H: Wasn't his gestures and movement like a Fu Manchu kind of thing? From the pulps and the movies or something? It could be a “yellow peril” kind of thing.

S: “I would never do anything.” Full stop.. really. I would never do anything. I don't have much to say, but I want to see how the Doctor gets through that big pillar of smoke.

P: And follow the plan.

S: I don't think there is a plan.

R: It will be very interesting if the resolution is “Well, that didn't work.”

S: It will make sense if the “written by” and “from an idea by” are flipped next week. Whoopsadoodle!

R: I am disappointed that the Egyptians didn't think “wait a minute, it's a tomb. Close the door!” It would have been fun to see them think “I bet they can't throw fire through rock.” or “We're sitting here in this HUGE construction site with only giant rocks and these spears...”

S: Give me a lever.

Sc: The Egyptians were lame. The Ewoks were more effective.

S: They have claws and at least you can throw them at things.

C: I kept looking at Sara Kingdom in the background and she looked pissed the entire time.

H: Especially since they knew the Daleks were out looking for them. [Ok, gotta break in here. What I thought was funny/stupid was that Steven and Sara know a Dalek patrol is out there, but they still yelled their heads off to bring the patrol down on them. Sorry Ketina! --H]

K: Did the Monk get knocked out at the end of the last episode? How did the Doctor manage to tie him up?

H: The Doctor did tie up that kid in "The Space Museum" too. He had to learn Vesuvian Aikido sometime.

K: I liked that the Egyptians couldn't understand what the Daleks were saying.

H: They seemed to understand it, but it didn't make any sense to them.

K: But they shouldn't have understood it at all. I was worried about that when the big speech started, and I liked that it wasn't entirely clear. The Daleks certainly aren't speaking ancient Egyptian.

H: But people in "The Chase," like on top of the Empire State Building, they could understand what the Daleks were saying.

K: Well, the Daleks can obviously speak English because they can understand all the British people. :P

H: I think they just didn't understand the content. But it was certainly ambiguous, and more than one interpretation is possible.

K: Okay.

H: So, the plot did advance. The Daleks have the taranium again, and the Doctor has to do whatever the heck he needs to do next. And I think it's the second point in the story where the Daleks appear to have won. It's more adversity for them to overcome.

---

And that's kind of where we ended things. For once, I don't have to plug Loose Cannon Productions, since this episode wasn't a recon, but I will anyway. Check them out! And, once again, many apologies for the lateness of this post. (Although the timestamp may be Friday 11 March, it's Monday 14 March as I type this.) Once again, it's the detailed summary that's taking the time, so...if you appreciate that, there we go. (If you don't appreciate it and would rather have posts out every Friday night, let us know!)

Two more episodes to go...See you later this week for episode eleven! Until then, I remain

About Me

1963 to 1969. Six seasons, Two Hundred and Sixty-Three episodes. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. Join us in our quest to recapture the magic of early Doctor Who!
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